Canton Wal-Mart food drive photo goes viral

A photo of a food drive for Wal-Mart employees at a store in Canton received national attention Monday

Kelly Byer CantonRep.com staff writer @kbyerREP

A photo of a Thanksgiving food drive for local Wal-Mart employees went viral Monday after it was posted online.

The Wal-Mart on Atlantic Boulevard NE received criticism and praise via social media as the story reported by The Plain Dealer was picked up by national news sites such as The Huffington Post, The Atlantic and Salon.

The photo was posted on the Facebook page of Organization United for Respect, or OUR Walmart. The group, which has held strikes at other stores in Ohio, said the photo is an example of the low wages associates make.

"The company needs to stand up and give them their 40 hours and a living wage, so they don't have to worry about whether they can afford Thanksgiving," OUR Walmart spokeswoman Vanessa Ferreira is quoted as saying in The Plain Dealer.

Requests for comment sent to OUR Walmart were not immediately returned Monday.

A spokesman for Wal-Mart, however, said the drive was for associates who may be struggling outside of work. Kory Lundberg said the purpose of the drive, which is in its fourth or fifth year, has been misconstrued.

"This is about people that have come and faced a very difficult, critical situation that nobody can plan for," he said Monday.